Improvement in corn-harvesters



4Sheets-Sheet 1 G. A. HARVEY.

Corn-Harvester.

No. 206,395. Patented J l 30,1878.

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G. A. HARVEY. V Golan-Harvester. No. 206,395 Patented July 30,1878.

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I 4 Sheeps-Sheet 3 G. A. HARVEY. Corn-Harvester.

No. 206,395. Patented July 30,1878.

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G. A. HA.RVEY.

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No. 206,395. ulyso, I878.

WITNESSES: INVE TOR:

BZ/WAMS I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. HARVEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORN-HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 206,395, dated July110, 197 application filed August 1, 1677.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. IIARVEY, of the city of Chicago, in thecounty of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Gorn Harvesters, which is fully described in. thefollowing specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 represents a plan view of a cornharvestercontaining my improvements; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same 5 Fig.3, a front elevation of the same; Fig. 4, a rear elevation of the sameFigs. 5 and 6, plan and sectional views, on an enlarged scale, of onetooth of the gatheringchain; and Fig. 7, a cross-section, on an enlargedscale, showing portions of the pickin g-rollers.

My invention relates to that class of cornharvesters in which the earsare picked or broken from the stalks, and the latter are left standingin the field, while the ears are conveyed to a suitable wagon-box.

The invent-ion consists in a stalk-gatherer of peculiar construction.

It also consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of thepickingrollers.

It also consists in a spring-cover attached to the gatherer andprojecting over the gathering-chain, but yielding to the pressure of theentering stalks. 7

It also consists in various devices and combinations of devices, all ofwhich will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the drawings, A represents a wagonbody, which is mounted upon fourwheels, but the rear axle, 13, of which is extended considerably beyondthe wagon-body at one side, and carries at the opposite end adrivingwheel, I).

The projecting end of the axle B has a long bend, b, which projectsupward, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, and in front thereof isarranged a gathering-hood, O, the branches of which extend downward andoutward, and are curved, as shown in the drawings. The

gathering sides of this hood are deep, and the other upper or hoodportion thereof is sumciently high to permit the stalks to pass backunderneath it by bending down their upper portions. The hood is attachedto a rockshaft, 0, which is mounted in suitable bearings on frame-worksecured to the rear axle, and is connected to a hand-lever, D, at theforward end of the wagon by means of a rod, d, and arm 0, which isattached to the rock-shaft, so that by vibrating the lever thegathering-hood may be adjusted to raise and lower its forward end.

Below the outer branch of the gatherer an arm, E, extends forward fromthe rear axle, being slightly inclined downward, and constructed with aninwardly-proj ectin g ledge or flange, c, at its lower edge, alongsideof which a sprocket-chain, F, is arranged to run, the sections of whichare provided with projections or teeth f long enough to project over thelodge a as they are carried backward, a narrow space being left betweenthe chain and lodge.

A wing or cover, G, is hinged to the outer branch of the gathering-hood,so as to pro ject over the gathering-chain, and is held up by a spring,g, which permits it to yield, however, to pressure of the stalks as itis brought against them.

In rear of the hood 0, and partly within the bend in the axle, are twopicking-rollers, H, arranged in a vertical position and mounted insuitable bearings onthe frame-work of the machine. These rollers arefluted, as shown in the drawings, and are arranged so that the ribs onone shall but slightly enter the grooves in the other, thereby bringingthe bite at the sides of the ribs and near their outer portions, insteadof at the bottom of the grooves.

I prefer to construct these rollers as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings,in which the outer edges of the ribs h are-represented as faced withsteel, h, these facings being attached to the ribs by a dovetailedjoint, and being con structed of polygonal contour. The upper ends ofthe shafts of these rollers are provided with pinions meshing with eachother, and one of which meshes with a pinion, I, on a shaft, 1', whichis driven by the main drivewheel through a horizontal shaft, J, andbevelgear j, as shown in Fig. 4L of the drawings, and by means of whichthe rollers are caused to revolve inward-that is, toward each other.Upon the inside of the gatherer 0, between it and the wagon-body, is anincline, K, which is arranged below the gathering and conveying chain F.This incline or slide stands inward toward the wagon, and is depressedin the same direction, so that the gathering-chain upon its inside trackwill be a sufficient distance above the incline to permit ears of cornto pass freely underneath it. The relative position of these parts isclearly shown in Fl gs. l and 4c of the drawings.

An endless elevator-apron, L, is arranged at the side of the wagon,extending from the foot of the incline K to a little distance abovethetop of the wagon-body, and at its upper end is an inclined curvedspout, M, which is arranged so that the elevator will discharge into it,and thence slide down into the wagon-body, over which the lower end ofthe spout extends.

The gathering-chain is constructed in a pcculiar manner. The sectionsare made with square shoulders f upon the outside, or the side to whichthe teeth are attached, as shown in F1 g. 5 of the drawings. Thisconstruction permits the chain to be straightened out in a line,butprevents it from being bent beyond that line in an inward direction,so that as it is carried up on its outer course toward thepicking-rollers it will be unyielding to pressure inward. Thisbeltpasses around three sprocketwheels, oneof which, N, is arranged justoutside the lower end of the arm E, and the other two, a n, at the rearof the machine, below the axle. The sprocket-wheel Nis drivenbybevelgear 0,1nounted on a shaft, 0, which, in turn, is rotated bymeans of a sprocket-wheel on its inner end, and a chain, 1 passingaround a sprocket-wheel on the shaft J, underneath the wagon-body, theshaft 0 being supported in suitable bearings at the foot and in front ofthe elevator L.

The operation of my improved machine is as follows: The machine is drawnalong over the field, outside of the standing row, so as to bring thegatherer in line with the latter, and the stalks enter between the lowerflaring ends of the gatherer, which should be depressed so as to takethe stalks below the ears thereon, and pick up any of the cars whichhave lopped over. As the machine progresses the teeth on thegathering-chain soon take the stalks between the two branches of thegatherer, and hold them securely until taken by the pickingrollers H, bywhich they are seized and drawn through until the ears are reached,which are broken oft in the usual way, and fall down upon the incline K,to which they are directed by the spring guard or cover g, whichprevents their falling upon the chain. The stalks are delivered from therollers of the machine still standing in the field, while the pickedears slide down the incline K, underneath the gathering-chain, to thefoot of the elevator L, by which they are taken up and delivered intothe spout M, whence they are discharged into the wagon-body. Thepeculiar curved form of the gatheringarms, which are bent inward andupward, as shown in the drawings permits the stalks of corn to be pickedup without much danger of breaking, as the straightenin g up of thestalks is accomplished gradw ally and without any sudden and angularbends. The elevator is driven by the shaft 0, which also drives thegathering-chain.

If the teeth on the gathering-chain are ar' ranged sufficiently neartogether, the cover may possibly be dispensed wit-l1, for the teeth willcover the open space, so that no corn can fall through, and the carswill be tipped over into the chute K.

On account of the peculiar construc tion and arrangement of the rollersthe stalks will pass through them more readily than when the grooves aremore nearly filled by the ribs or flanges, and the bend in the axleprovides a free space through which the stalkes escape at the rear ofthe machine. The upright or vertical position of the rollers preventsthe bending over of the stalks which occurs when the rollers are placedin an inclined position, as the stalks are not affected by the rollersuntil they come immediately before them, and are then passed through ina moment. 7

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim, and wish to secure byLetters Patent, 1s

1. The gathering-hood O, constructed of the form and with the curvessubstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The guide-arm E,provided with the ledge c, in combination with thegathering-chain 1 having teeth f, arranged and operating substantiall yas and for the purpose set forth.

3. The gathering -hood 0, in combination with the flanged arm 1* andtoothed chain F, arranged and operating substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

4. The elastic guard or cover G, hinged to the gatherer, and held inposition by a spring, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The rollers H, constructed with longitudinal grooxes, and arrangedwith ribs slight] y intermeshing, so that the bite is at their outeredges only, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The steel facing-strips h, attached to the outer edges of the flangesor ribs h of the pickin g-rollers H, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

7. The axle B, bent vertically, as described, in combination with a'pairof picking-rollers, I-I, arranged just in front of or justin the bend ofthe axle, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

GEORGE A. HARVEY.

\Vitnesses Jim. 0. MAoGnnuou, W. C. OonLrns.

